Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.
_Genesis 16:16

An interesting fact, sure to win a game of bible trivia. But more interesting is the very next verse.

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him…
_Genesis 17:1

Genesis 16 ends when Abram is 86. In Genesis 17, he’s 99. In one verse, the bible skips 13 years of Abram’s life with no explanation of what happened during those years. Like a train stopping only at certain stations, Abram’s story had stops at 86 years old and 99 years old.

THE DURONTO
The Duronto Express is a train that runs all over India. About a month ago, I was there and returning to Calcutta from a city about three hours away. The train left Digha Station and we were scheduled to arrive at Howrah Station in Calcutta. During the entire train ride, my friends and I stood in the aisles, telling jokes and having a good time. We were having such a great time that even other people on the train were laughing hysterically. About 30 minutes away from our destination, I heard a *BONG* noise. Mass chaos followed.

“GET YOUR BAGS! GET YOUR BAGS!!! GET OUT OF THE WAY!!! MOVE!!! GO! GO! HURRY UP!!!!”

Completely confused, I shouted to my friend, “Piyas, we’re not to Howrah yet. What’s going on?” Piyas hurriedly replied, “Get your bags! Quickly! We must get down at this station – Santragachi.”

I grabbed my bags and squeezed off the train. When I caught up with Piyas on the platform, I asked him what had happened. He told me that because other trains were running slowly that day, the Duronto didn’t get a signal for the Howrah Station and had to wait until they were given a signal. In situations like that, the trains, since they have to wait anyway, sometimes make optional stops at other train stations that may be more convenient to some of the passengers. We had to hurry because the train usually only stops there for about 60 seconds and it was closer to where we were going.

OUR STATIONS
Some of the dissatisfaction with our lives comes from expecting our life train to have frequent stops – like the life trains for other people we see. It didn’t happen that way for Abram. He waited 13 years for a major event. Things were happening in his life, though. There’s life inside the train, not only at the destination.

In the end, we don’t know when or where the train will drop us off. It could be at our original destination or it could be at a surprise stop. It could take 13 days or 13 weeks or 13 years. But you WILL get there. And when you do, the journey will have been worth it.

We get better at waiting by knowing this: All the days of difficulty will be a distant thing – as far away as the place you boarded your train – replaced by joy. So for you depressed and you deeply hurting… for anyone waiting on something they long for… Hold on…

Those who sow in tears
will reap with songs of joy.
He who goes out weeping,
carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
carrying sheaves with him.
_Psalm 126:4-6

It’s no wonder the Psalmists continually say, “Give thanks to God…” He’s always providing.

From him…are all things.
_Romans 11:28

But giving thanks goes deeper than politeness.

Let the one who is wise… ponder the loving deeds of the Lord.
_Psalm 107:43

In the end, thanking God isn’t just about manners or fulfilling commandments given by the Psalmists.

It’s about saying, “I see your love.”

Napoleon Dynamite: Get off my property!
Uncle Rico: It’s a free country. I can do whatever I want.
Napoleon Dynamite: Get off my property or I’ll call the cops on you.
Uncle Rico: Well then do it! Go on!
_Scene from Napoleon Dynamite

Uncle Rico dares Napoleon to call the police. He bets Napoleon won’t go the final step.

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.
_James 3:13

Wisdom goes beyond gray beards and sage advice. Wisdom ends in action. How hopeful the world that we would all gain wisdom and take it to the final step – demonstration.

132 and Bush, I’ve got him at gunpoint.

The TV show COPS has been on the air for 24 years. I always have questions when I watch COPS. Why are only 0.5% of the car chase suspects women? How does that cameraman run like a cheetah and jump over fences like a deer? Why don’t the cops celebrate more when they catch someone? NFL players dance when they tackle people. Why don’t the cops do it?

NICE TRY
The best COPS episodes (I’m somewhat of a connoisseur) include car chases where the suspect gets out of their car and sprints through neighborhoods trying to evade the police. In real life, I bet that works sometimes. But it NEVER works on COPS. Especially when helicopters get involved and the helicopter is equipped with infrared that can detect body heat. The suspect will be hiding underneath a kiddie pool, thinking he’s safe. You’re watching on TV and like, “Nice try, sucka! We can see you!” And the helicopter pilot is all like “Yo, he’s under that kiddie pool.” Then the cops come up and cart him away.

Dude hiding under kiddie pool as seen from helicopter infrared

God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil.
_Ecclesiastes 12:14

You’re not invisible to God. Sometimes you may feel like it, but you’re not. All those good things you do that you think no one sees? He does. He’s got infrared (or the God equivalent).

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
_Galatians 6:9

The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart.
_Proverbs 17:3

It’s no secret that the way you make things out of metal is by heating it up. When metal gets hot, you can bend it, mold it, and cast it into new objects.

When we go through tough times, God is heating our hearts, re-shaping us into something new. Something better.

Expert diagram of Proverbs 17:3

Nobody melts down silver or gold to throw it away. That’s a fear: we’re ruined because of this thing in our life.

When our hearts and souls get melted down by the trials of life, it sometimes literally feels like we’re having a melt down. Peter told us not to worry.

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.
_1 Peter 4:12

God
has not
abandoned us
even if we feel like he has.

This is all normal! He’s forcing us to abandon rubbish in our hearts. He’s helping us make automatic improvements. He’s helping us become great!

Occasionally on runs, crazy dogs get loose (also probably mistaking me for a waddling panda) and chase me down the street. There’s really no word in the English language to describe what that looks like. I’m sure it’s funny. It doesn’t FEEL funny, but it has to be.

The goofy dogs are the ones who are outside and start barking at you from the moment they see you until the moment they can’t. They don’t move. They just bark. Sometimes you can hear them fighting for self-control, pausing to growl in a hushed tone before launching into berserk madness.

Fools show their annoyance at once,
but the prudent overlook an insult.
_Proverbs 12:16

EVERYDAY DOGS
Some days, we come across “dogs” in our life – people who bark at us because they’re annoyed. We’re not doing anything wrong. But they make us FEEL like we are.

Imagine a real dog barked at you and you shouted back, “YOU’RE RUBBISH! I COULD ROB YOUR HOUSE ANYTIME I WANTED!” That would be ridiculous.

But what happens when PEOPLE bark at us? We often get defensive. We get hot, our pulse races, we want to leave the situation as quickly as possible. Very similar to being chased by a dog.

And unlike with real dogs, sometimes we bark back. “YOU’RE RUBBISH! YOU’RE AN X, Y, AND Z!” (Please substitute your favorite insult for variables.)

In those moments, we’re fools. We’ve shown our annoyance at once. Someone who is prudent “acts with care, showing thought for the future.”

ON A LEASH
Whether it’s a real dog or a human “dog,” dogs are all the same. They feel like they’re protecting their homes and probably take great pride in it. We ignore the barking of real dogs as puffery. If we never learn to let annoyances and insults pass us by without comment, it will be our foolish words that lead us into a stress-filled future where we’re dragged around by our lack of self-control.

The prudent overlook an insult.

Native Americans
There’s some debate amongst historians, but the general story goes like this: Native Americans kept the population of bison in check for a long time. They would occasionally hunt and kill the huge animals, putting all of the deceased bison to good use. The meat was prepared in more ways than Bubba Gump cooked shrimp and the hides were used for footwear, bedding, and clothing. But as Europeans spread across North America, they brought diseases with them which wiped out many Indian tribes, allowing the bison to rapidly multiply in number.

US Americans
As time went on Europeans, and then Americans, desired the land of the Indians. Instead of diplomacy or confronting them directly in military battle where the Native Americans had proven themselves an unusually formidable enemy, the U.S. Army chose a more subtle path – cut off the supply lines of the Native Americans – destroy as many buffalo as possible until it broke the will of the tribes. No buffalo meant no food and no supplies for the Native Americans. As history now shows, it worked. Millions of buffalo were slaughtered. And the U.S. Army was able to move Native Americans onto reservations and take their land.

Bison skulls that were crushed into powder and used as fertilizer.

Railroad Assassins
One of the more bizarre and savage methods involved the railroads. As the intercontinental railroads began ferrying passengers out West, luxury rides were offered for $10 a seat that allowed people to shoot at buffaloes directly out the window. Buffaloes weren’t collected, skinned, or field dressed. They were left for dead where they were shot.

One by One
28,700 days. That’s how long the average American can expect to live. It’s a lot of days. Many of us often view that pile of days as an unending number. And so our time gets treated commonly – as common as millions of exterminated buffalo or reservation-corralled Native Americans. Which is dangerous because when things become common, they can seem unimportant, even dispensable. It’s when we lose touch with our own humanity. $28,700 is a nice pile of money, though we can always get more money. But days? No. There are only so many of those and we can’t add more.

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
_Psalm 90:12

Initially, nobody knows how to number their days. It’s something we need to be taught. Which is encouraging! Maybe those times we’re tired of pursuing our wonky ambitions are designed for us to step into the classroom and ask God the question, “How do I number my days? Teach me.”

At the central part of campus where I went to college was a statue with an inscription at the base…

To think that in such a place, I led such a life.

It’s the “epitaph” of a graduating college student.

If you’re hustling today, there’s one question to answer: do you marvel at the life you have?

Are you leading (or getting closer to leading) the type of life you really want?

If not, there’s plenty of time to get hustling in another direction, so that when our lungs no longer inflate, we can truthfully write on our tombstones those words of thanksgiving…

To think that in such a place, I led such a life.

After working for months with blasting powder, axes, and chisels, they finally left the canyon rim and went on their way. The 250 people, 83 full-sized wagons, and more than 1000 head of livestock descended the 1200-foot cliff without a loss.

TWO EXPERTS
Imagine someone had been hurt, though. What would they do? There’s not a phonebook of doctors. There might be two. They’d completely trust and rely on those doctors. It’s all they had.

TWO THOUSAND EXPERTS
In today’s world, technology and media expose us to thousands of people in our profession. It causes most of us to lose confidence in what we do. If I lived in a village of 500, I might be the only computer programmer and I’d feel like a stud. But I live in a world where I have access to thousands of programmers and sometimes feel like a chump because I know I’ll never be as good as many of them are.

It. Doesn’t. Matter. Because we’ve got it all mixed up!

BIG HIPS
When I look at Usain Bolt, I’m not ashamed I can’t sprint like he does. He’s a world-class athlete. I wasn’t gifted like him. He has a huge capacity to be a great sprinter. I don’t. My hips are big enough to give birth – not exactly Olympian material.

THE RIGHT CLASS
It’s too bad most industries don’t talk about state-class talent, city-class talent, company-class talent, or team-class talent. Here’s why. In our NATURE, we’re created equal by God. But in our gifts and capabilities, we’re NOT. There are people far smarter than me. They start on third base before I even leave the batter’s box.

PRESENT AND PAST…
Here’s how messed up we can be. In the PRESENT, we’re dissatisfied as we compare ourselves to other people – usually ending in jealousy, envy, and/or self-loathing. But looking into the PAST, we do somthing different. We’re dissatisfied as we compare our lives to what they COULD have been – the emotion of regret. Regret usually involves us being upset we didn’t live up to our own capabilities – a missed chance with a girl or slacking off in college.

…AND PEACE

A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.
_Proverbs 14:30

We need to be thankful – for just living and for who we are. God doesn’t expect you to be someone else. He expects you to be you. When we accept ourselves and how God made us, we won’t compare. We’ll be at peace and (hopefully!) make our life the best it can be. Accepting ourselves defeats envy and regret and sets us up for a great future!

Once upon a time this guy built a wide road. He named it Broad Way. Today, numerous cities in the US have a Broadway that is home to the best culture in our country.

The idea for Broad Way wasn’t super special. But what happened after that has made all our lives more interesting. People saw that idea and built on it.

That means whatever “common” thing you’re building today could become a significant contribution to the world tomorrow.

Continue building your vision. Most days of idea work are almost painfully common – you’re out pulling up weeds, leveling some ground, measuring the width, digging out rocks, and occasionally talking to people about your idea.

You go through times when you think, “There’s nothing special about what I’m doing. Anyone could do this.” Except “anyone” isn’t. You are. And when you finish, certain people are going to see what you did and build on it.

But before they can see it, YOU have to put in the hard yards of preparing the way. That’s why it’s called vision. You see what isn’t as though it is. And pretty soon, other people will see what it is you built and create what isn’t.

It’s part of the magic of being in the human family – turning a tree into a forest everyone can enjoy. It’s a group of people who morph Broad Way into Broadway.